Campaign 2002: Another Dole, Another Race

When she formally announces her candidacy for the U.S. Senate this week from her home state of North Carolina, Elizabeth Dole will become the instant front runner. The most recent public poll, conducted earlier this month, showed her clobbering her most likely Democratic opponent, Clinton-era White House chief of staff Erskine Bowles, by a 47-point margin. Still, Dole's race for the seat being vacated by Jesse Helms may not be as easy as it once seemed. Democrats have put up TV ads blasting her for a Ken Lay-hosted fund raiser just nine days after Sept. 11. (Her campaign has since donated...